Add Value To Your Home

If you are a fan of the many home makeover and property development programmes on TV, you may be considering making changes to your home in an attempt to increase its saleability and value when you sell. Here are ten changes which you can make which will add value and help you sell.

Redecorating is the easiest and most common renovation that people make when selling. It may or might not add value, but a weekend spent painting neutral colours onto the walls could help speed up the sale of your property, allowing you to move on sooner rather than later.

In the majority of property sales, the kitchen will be the make-or-break room that turns a viewer into a buyer. A new kitchen or the clever replacement of doors, worktops and flooring can add up to £10,000 to the price of a house. Just make sure that the amount spent is less than £10,000 or you won’t show a profit.

Adding security features will always be a bonus to a buyer. Window locks are a cheap addition and will reduce house insurance costs in many cases. If most of the houses in your street have a burglar alarm, yours should have one too.

Replacing dilapidated and out-dated windows can improve your chances of a sale, as long as they are in keeping with the style of the property and the surrounding area. Put uPVC windows in a 1960’s property where every other house in the street has them will probably help you to sell. Replace wooden sash windows in a Victorian house with uPVC and you will reduce your chances of selling.

A well done loft conversion carried out within building regulations can add to the value and saleability of home. Nowadays planning requirements mostly prevent the ugliest loft conversions from being carried out, but do consider the effect on the outside of your property while you are dreaming of the extra internal space.

An extra bathroom is a very popular feature of any house at the moment and if your house has four or more bedrooms it will be expected. However an extra bathroom put in at the expense of a bedroom will decrease the value of your house.

An extension is quite a commitment but again if it is sympathetic to the house and does not substantially reduce the size of the garden it could add more to the value of your property that it costs. However it must be done with planning permission or your house will be completely unsaleable until it is granted or the extension is removed.

Replacing period features such as fireplaces and ceiling roses can add value to an older property. Find your nearest architectural salvage yard at Salvo.

Building a conservatory is another way to extend your home which could increase the selling price by more than it costs to carry out. Just make sure that it is in proportion to the house and does not take up too much garden space. Also make sure that you have a garden worth looking out onto. A conservatory which looks out onto a patch of weeds won’t add much value.

Landscaping a dull or non-existent garden into a family friendly oasis will widen your houses appeal and could make the difference to getting a speedy sale.